After the game, I asked USC coach Lane Kiffin how he felt about the style with which the Trojans dispatched the Golden Bears. Earlier this year, Kiffin had mentioned the importance of winning with style to win over fans in Los Angeles. "It's not as fun," Kiffin said. "It's more fun to win, 50-0. But that doesn't happen every week. Some games are going to be like this." Kiffin seemed perfectly OK with it, and why shouldn't he be? Yeah, 2 and 9 (Robert Woods and Marqise Lee) didn't bust out, but USC imposed its will on Cal, nearly doubling the Bears in total yards (488-250). The game felt a little similar to last year's Cal game, which also was one-sided (30-9) but hardly an offensive masterpiece. Kiffin seemed perturbed at the time that reporters were asking him so many "What's wrong with the offense?" questions. It was then that he realized that an ugly victory counts just the same as a stylish one.

2. Passing grade, barely

OK, so what is wrong with the offense? The running game obviously returned to form, but the passing game remained off-kilter. Matt Barkley wasn't constantly under pressure as in the Stanford game, so why did he throw two interceptions? Why did Lee and Woods average only 7.8 yards per catch? Barkley chalked up his first pick, which ended USC's first drive, to "miscommunication" between himself and Woods. Woods said cornerback Steve Williams played a technique that didn't jibe with the film. Whatever the case, Barkley and Woods haven't been clicking the way we've come to expect, a surprising development considering their history and how good they looked toward the end of training camp. Another factor to consider is the way teams are defending USC. Barkley and Woods said Cal primarily played a cover-2 defense against the Trojans to prevent big plays. Kiffin said opponents are gearing their entire defensive game plans toward thwarting Woods and Lee. That should create vast expanses for the running game. USC finally took advantage of that Saturday.

3. Middling Maynard

In the things-can-always-be-worse category, we consider Barkley's counterpart, Zach Maynard. Maynard was supposed to be among the most improved players in the Pac-12, or so Kiffin and Dion Bailey told us. I saw no evidence of that Saturday. Anytime a play broke down, Maynard's decision-making seemed to falter. At the most critical point of the game, he made a terrible choice, forcing a pass that T.J. McDonald intercepted when Maynard easily could have tossed the ball out of bounds. There were also at least three occasions when Keenan Allen was open for a significant gain, yet Maynard either didn't see him or overthrew him. In two games against USC, Maynard has zero touchdown passes and five interceptions. And it's not just him. Despite always having NFL talent on the roster, Cal hasn't been competitive with USC in years. Since I started covering the Trojans in 2008, the closest margin has been 14 points.

4. Sack attack

In Maynard's defense, USC's defense was all over him. The defensive line, once thought to be the Trojans' weakness, continued to ascend, combining for all seven of the team's sacks. Morgan Breslin's three sacks were the most by a USC defender since Rey Maualuga in the 2008 Rose Bowl, and Breslin's 4.5 tackles for losses were the most since Lawrence Jackson had a school-record 5.5 in 2007. Wes Horton's return to the lineup really made a difference. He had only one of the sacks but applied consistent pressure. "It takes all four," Horton said afterward. "I felt like the pressure I created helped other guys get sacks." The pressure also helped the back seven look good. Besides the interception, McDonald had nine tackles. Middle linebacker Lamar Dawson tied him for team-high honors and made some key stops. The defense had a little too much of the bend-but-don't-break thing going at times, but it's hard to complain when the other team doesn't score a single touchdown.

5. Away they go

The road only gets tougher from here, and I don't mean that metaphorically. USC plays three of its next four games away from the Coliseum. (The Trojans' next home game is almost a month away -- Oct. 20 vs. Colorado.) Utah and Arizona might not be as daunting as originally thought after Saturday's results, and Washington is banged up, but they're still conference road games. Every opposing team and fan base gets fired up to face USC. Fortunately, the Trojans have a bye week to brace for that gauntlet. They really took off after last year's bye, starting with the Cal game, and by the end of the season they were one of the best teams in America. The goal is the same this time: constant, steady improvement. Saturday's victory over Cal was a step in the right direction.

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